It's World Ocean's Day today and it's all about cherishing the oceans and encouraging us to eat "sustainable seafood." But that's where I have a problem. What is sustainable? Marion Nestle defined it in my radio interview with her as "What you take out, you put back?" I can't get my head around that one as it relates to seafood.

And I think we all get confused by the latest nutrition mantras - eat lots of salmon because it has the most omega-3's. All of the sudden, everyone wants salmon which in turn leads to over-fishing, poorly farmed versions and a conundrum for deep thinkers like me. So, I basically avoid salmon for the most part and "vote with my fork."

I think we should look for local catches or in-season fish whenever possible. But that's a simple, over-generalization that I don't really understand. When I visit my parents in Rhode Island it seems that Atlantic Cod would be a great choice, or perhaps lobster. Are these sustainable? SO I do my homework and find out that "local" Atlantic cod is not sustainable, but Maine lobster is OK. Well goodie for me because I LOVE lobster!! But I love cod. What to do? So confused!! One the best resources I have found on the subject is the Monterey Bay Aquarium website. They have apps and information on better choices.

So for today, I decided that we'd have scallops which are for the most part a good choice - phew!! And, believe it or not CLAMS are sustainable, too. Here's a recipe for Linguine with Clam Sauce.

I'd love your thoughts about the sustainability of seafood issue. I doubt our grandparents had to think much about it.

Would you believe that a person who is among the top 7 most powerful foodies according to Michael Pollan admits to having no real food memories from her childhood other than summer camp in Vermont? But it was an extraordinary memory and has influenced her to this day. Was it the fresh-picked green beans, still warm from the summer sun? The wild berries?

Fast forward to adult life and Marion Nestle is, bar none, at the top of the food movement chain! What I loved about Marion was her optimism. She's been focused on food studies since 1996 and has seen great strides in the food movement. It's really all about values - what kind of food do we want to feed out families? So vote with you fork and live sustainably by putting back what you take out. Seems simple, right - then do it!! Thank you Marion for all that you do!!

Latvian-born Ella Nemcova is a first generation American who witnessed her family straddle their heritage foods with the new American foods and "Good Housekeeping" ethos. And like many of us, didn't pay alot of attention to food growing up. She loved Russian Deli food and, in particular, Salad Olivier - a salad of potatoes, peas, pickles, and kielbasa - all cubed in the same shape and size. Ella spent the beginning of her career in advertising but left that career and began an odyssey that would lead her to her new career as a vegan caterer, teacher and artisanal product creator. Check out The Regal Vegan.

A while back I blogged about some chairs I stumbled upon at Brimfield almost a couple of years ago. They were exactly what I had been looking for ....and for a mere fraction of the cost...These are over 100 years old. The wood is oak and very heavy as typical of old growth wood. The seller told me they were sitting in a barn in Rochester, NY - no wonder the needlepoit was all destroyed!

It took me a long time to select the fabric and then to have them reupholstered. But alas they are done and gorgeous. Total cost is 1/5 of buying them new. Feeling pretty good about my score!!

You may be able to take the girl out of the country but you cannot take the country out of the girl! Belinda Di Giambattista is a living breathing example of that quote! Belinda grew up in North Carolina and was exposed to farming and farmer's markets as a little girl. She went off to pursue her brilliant career in finance and found herself craving more spiritual and meaningful work. Belinda still lives in NYC but she has found a way to connect with her farming and healthy eating roots. She started a business making healthy food for kids called Butterbeans Kitchen.

I aksed Belinda for her grandmother's "Apple Moon Pies" and in true granny form, we got the "non-recipe, recipe!" Here's her note to me:

Hi Carole! My Granny wrote me the following note:

"They were dried apple fried pies, I never had a recipe. If you put a cup of firm pack dried apples in a sauce pan and a cup of water then bring it to a boil turn the heat down to low, you might have to add more water just a small amount depending on the apples, cook to mush, stir often. When cooked enough add spices and sugar to taste, I used bread dough. Take a ball the size of a walnut and roll it like a thin pie crust, spread the apple mix on 1/2 of the dough not to the edge of the dough, fold the other 1/2 dough over the apples with a fork press the crust together to seal in the apples then lay it carefully in a frying pan with some oil and fry that side then turn the pie over cook. I used to make a big stack of pies and my family loved to eat them." Izula Fentress

I thought it would be better to leave her version of the recipe as is to preserve how she thinks of it instead of writing it in a traditional style."

I spyed some dried apples at the farmers market last week and will pick some up on Friday and try to create a recipe to share this weekend. SOostay tuned!! In the meantime, here's her interview - enjoy!!